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Honda Introduces 2014 CBR650F and Interceptor 800 for U.S. Market

In addition to the revised CB1100 and CB1100 Deluxe we posted earlier today, Honda has unveiled additional 2014 models, including the four-cylinder CBR650F pictured above and the Interceptor pictured below, which we described in detail when it was introduced to the European market earlier this year (Europe calls it the VFR800F).

Some of the details are set forth in Honda’s press release below, together with links to Honda’s web site for each model.

The CBR650F is perhaps the more interesting bike, with a fairly reasonable price for a relatively high performance machine with upright ergonomics. The four-cylinder CBR650F should walk all over the 650cc twins available from Suzuki and Kawasaki when it comes to engine performance. Honda has put some pretty impressive front brakes on this bike, with four-piston calipers squeezing 320 mm discs. Follow the link below to Honda’s web site for more details and photos.

Additionally, Honda is bringing over a limited number of competition trials bikes … the Montesa Honda Cota 4RT Repsol Edition, which will be available in April for $8,999. A link to additional details can be found below.

Here is the press release from Honda:

Torrance, CA: If you couldn’t find your dream machine in all the new products Honda released over the past two years, there’s a great chance what you’re looking for is in this latest group of 2014 models from Honda. Across all categories, Honda has released unique and fun products that touch the soul of enthusiasts and entry riders alike.

“Only Honda, the world’s number one powersports manufacturer, could roll out so many new and exciting products over such a short period of time” said Powersports Press Manager Bill Savino. “The extremely broad spectrum of these models demonstrates how Honda reaches all segments of the powersports world.

“One area that’s uniquely Honda is the V4 sport bike segment, and this year we’ve added the Interceptor to the line. The Interceptor offers that special V-4 experience so purely Honda in feel and function, and has many upgrades to meet current customer expectations. There’s also a great sport bike that’s brand-new from the ground up, the CBR650F. This is a machine that offers plenty of fun sport performance while also being versatile and comfortable enough to ride every day of the week. It’s a bike you can quickly fall in love with on every new ride.

“Our CB1100 offers a timeless appeal that speaks to experienced riders who share a passion for the sport, and now we’ve boosted the fun factor with a new Deluxe version that extends the retro feeling even further. And for something really different, American Honda also introduces the Montesa Honda Cota 4RT, a pure Trials competition bike featuring Repsol Edition graphics and powered by a Honda four-stroke engine. This bike is also included in our Honda Racing Contingency Program for 2014.

“That’s a lot of fun options to round out our list of machines for 2014, and I’m excited to say there are even more good things to come for the 2015 Honda model year.”

Interceptor/Interceptor Deluxe

Honda’s iconic V-4 powerplants have an alluring character all their own, a unique combination of torque, an aggressive rush of power as the tach needle swings up into the meaty part of the powerband, and a certain texture to the engine feel that tells you this could only be a Honda V-4. The new Interceptor® has all of that and more, including a chassis with that special Honda blend of agility and comfort that strikes an ideal balance for all-day rides on your favorite twisting roads. A stout single-side swingarm and radial-mounted front brakes make sport riding especially fun, and a front-mounted radiator gives the Interceptor a slim profile. To ensure long-term comfort, the Interceptor has upright, neutral ergonomics as well as an adjustable seat. This is a sport bike with plenty of emphasis on sport, plus the versatility for commuting, two-up fun rides and long-haul sport touring. The Deluxe model adds ABS, Traction Control, grip heaters, self-canceling turn signals, and a centerstand for riders wanting even more features. Colors: Red, Pearl White; Price: $12,499 – $13,499; Availability: May

CBR650F

Honda introduces the CBR650F, an all-new and remarkably affordable middleweight sport bike that’s built to cover the full range of street riding. The CBR650F strikes a terrific balance between full-on sport bike styling, nimble handling, overall performance, comfort and plenty of versatility—all at a great price. Honda’s mid-sized sport bikes have always offered a lightweight feel and intuitive response, and the CBR650F adds to that mix easily accessible power that makes this bike fun to ride all the time. It also provides the real-world advantages of excellent fuel efficiency and comfortable seating accommodations that let it work so well as an everyday ride. With stylish looks, a large array of available Honda Genuine Accessories and the option of ABS, you have the makings of an instant favorite for a variety of riders. Colors: Red, Candy Blue, Matte Black Metallic; Price: $8499 – $8999; Availability: Summer

CB1100

The timeless style of the CB1100 captures the hearts and imaginations of long-time riders who fondly remember iconic four-cylinder Hondas from years past, and sparks younger riders eager to experience these landmark machines. The CB1100 can be considered a purist’s kind of motorcycle, a modern reincarnation of the timeless and legendary CB750 Four. Boasting big-time roll-on power, nimble handling and more modern performance features that the original Four could never touch, the CB1100 also delivers the reliability and quality of modern-day Honda motorcycles with a nostalgic feel. New for 2014 is a six-speed transmission in place of the previous five-speed gearbox and that makes an excellent powertrain even better. Also, a new meter package features MPG, trip computer and gear position indicator. Color: Black; Price: $10,399; Availability: March

CB1100 Deluxe

The new CB1100 Deluxe boasts additional features that extend the classic retro look and feel to this unique machine. For the CB1100 Deluxe, Honda added an Anti-Lock Braking System, larger fuel tank with 0.5-gallon extra capacity for added range, sleek four-into-two exhaust system and a new seat with a retro-pattern, plus newly restyled side covers. The Deluxe incorporates a six-speed transmission to blend classic looks with modern-day performance. The Deluxe instrumentation also features MPG, a trip computer and gear position indicator for modern touches. All that adds up to a memorable riding experience that gives a nod to iconic classics. At the same time, riders enjoy impressive street-going power and agile handling for fun times on just about every kind of road in the book. Color: Candy Red; Price: $11,899; Availability: March

Montesa Honda Cota 4RT Repsol Edition

Spanish motorcycle manufacturer Montesa started business in 1944, and it quickly established a solid reputation for building successful competition bikes. Honda brought the brand into its fold in the mid-eighties and today the company makes some of the best trials bikes in the world. For 2014, American Honda is offering a limited number of the Cota 4RT, a new competition-ready machine featuring a four-stroke Honda 260cc engine. Built strictly for competition, it features an electronic fuel injection system and a revolutionary decompression system that reduces engine braking for a character similar to that of a 2-stroke, which competitors prefer. A quick-shifting five-speed transmission, Showa suspension and extra-wide footpegs for more control on all sorts of terrain help give this bike a leg up on the competition. Color: Repsol Edition (Orange/White/Red); Price: $8999; Availability: April

I REALLY wish Honda was bringing the naked version of the 650 over here. That’s a bike that I would consider going in debt for. Maybe in a few years, I know the faired 650 has been available in Europe for a few years now.

A lot of the criticisms here are valid, but I’m inclined to show appreciation for Honda doing something besides weirdness. I’ve gotten so accustomed to the weirdness that both of these bikes are surprising to me. Interceptor 800, and even an in-line four in a practical size, and affordable. The only thing that jumps out at me to criticize is the pricing of the VFR. But even that would be sort of a nitpick. No matter what we see that we might not like, I think that at this point we should be expressing our appreciation to Honda.

The Honda site’s pic of a guy riding the CBR650F makes it seem cramped, legroom-wise. Can’t Honda think out of the box beyond style and cc’s? Short people have a chip on their shoulder so they’re riding the CB600RR anyway, Lol.

Thank you Honda for bringing us a new VFR800 with a few technical advances, a nice clean fairing without all the punk graphics, and a reasonable looking muffler for starters. I hope the engine retains the 180 degree crank for that one of a kind sound and power delivery. It’s to bad we will probably never get the gear drive cams back like original ones had through 2001. By just adding a Stainture muffler with the sput out, the old bikes make the best music you could ask for. And the heated grips are a real plus if you like to ride year round and damm the weather! I’ve owned lots of bikes over the last 50 years, but I still like to ride my 2000 VFR the best overall. Thanks…

If looks alone are what you are interested in, then the VFR800 isn’t for you. its performance oriented, and the conventional forks work fine, my ’08 VFR800 has conventional forks and they perform well.

I don’t agree. When a company puts USD forks on a bike that’s built to a price point you must ask what else they sacrificed to provide that “look”. As I’ve always said, there are plenty of bikes on the market with USD forks on them (Hyosung?) that don’t work any better. If it’s valved and sprung well, 99% of VFR owners won’t miss them.

I agree that a good conventional fork on a bike like the VFR is fine. On the other hand, it isn’t a “price point” bike in the same sense as the Hyosung or the FZ-09, and it has always been marketed towards the “sport” end of the sport-touring segment. That said, I don’t think that VFR sales will be affected in the least because of it.

overruled. little dave is an expert and the court will hear his testimony. in fact, it’s already been entered into the official transcript. gentleman, this trial isn’t about the operational merits of USD vs. conventional. (Judge Julius Alexander Randolph voice)

re: “When a company puts USD forks on a bike that’s built to a price point you must ask what else they sacrificed to provide that “look”.”

speaking of price points, what you’re SUPPOSED to be asking is what did it cost in tooling and materials to cast those one off forks…? whatever it was, it was MORE than inventory sitting on the shelf. those forks are only being used on the VFR, meanwhile radial/USD is sourced for EVERYTHING.

I’m not interested in that cost, that’s between Honda and Showa. It has to be assumed that this fork is significantly less $$ than a USD model. They would have just gone USD otherwise. Gotta pay for that swingarm and V-tech somehow..

Is it possible that a conventional fork was spec’ed because this is a “touring” machine, and as such prone to be ridden for distances and in places more conventional sport bikes are not? To that end, a conventional fork puts the delicate fork tubes and seals higher up and more out of harms way than a USD fork. Could ease of servicability factored in as well? (I don’t which are easier to service.)

“Is it possible that a conventional fork was spec’ed because this is a “touring” machine…”

I think the reason this bike has a conventional fork is because the old bike had a conventional fork. This is an update, not a redesign. New fairing, new subframe, new exhaust, a tweak to the VTEC system: but it is still pretty much the same bike. It is cheaper to change as little as possible, and Honda is clearly confident that potential buyers are not going to base their purchase decision on whether or not the Interceptor has a USD. I don’t think they expect to sell these VFRs in great numbers: this is a high-margin bike for them.

If ease of serviceability were a factor, the engine wouldn’t have VTEC.

They made this VFR for me. When I sold my ’99 back in ’05, I instantly regretted it. I made a promise to myself that I would never again not have a VFR in my garage. I now have a 2004 that I am very happy with but I will probably be looking to replace it with a newer model in 2 years. It’s nice to know that I have another choice other than the VFR1200 model, but I have to admit I might go for a used 1200 over this model if the price was equal.

Good point. I have a ’94 that is great and I will keep it, but it is getting a bit old so I will update and add a new one soon. The new 800 is perfect for me except the vtec. I have not ridden it, but I will and if it is not an issue I will buy the new one. However, if the vtec bothers me then the 1200 would be a good possibility. A lot of bike for me, but it strikes me as similar to the BMW 1200 sport bikes which I like a lot.

The Vtec is a non issue ride wise, the bike steps up a little in power and the intake sound deepens which throws riders off a little especially during high workload situations. My FZ8 actually has a bigger surge in power above 7000rpm than my VFR. The issue with the Vtec is still the 15,000 mile service which will set you back $500 to $800 depending on your mechanic.

I’m a little surprised that motorcycles have gone up in price about 15-20% in the last 5-6 years of recession. What’s up with that?!? Seems like they’re going up several $hundred each year, but people’s wages are flat. What’s driving the prices? Further, demand has been super low, so what happened to economics? Suspended?

During that period the Dollar was losing a lot of ground to the Yen. As much as we’d like them to the factories can’t give them away, hence the shift in production of many of the the Hondas to Thailand to reduce production costs and get closer to their biggest markets. Last year Japan took measures to de-value the Yen and Yamaha did come up with the FZ-09 at $7990 which looks like a terrific bargain in my eyes. The bikes from Europe all seemed to jump up in price as the manufacturers are struggling for high end, low volume model profits. More bikes coming from India and other countries should start to hold the prices down.

I think Honda deserves support for bringing these bikes over and I hope they sell well.

That being said, I think it’s hard to get excited about either model. The VFR is a step in the right direction, but the VTEC thing really needs to go, the thing needs saddlebags standard, and shaft drive while we’re at it. It needs to be more of a mini ST1300 but more fun to ride. Everyone always runs out and buys bags and helibars, so why doesn’t Honda catch onto that? A lower price would help. They should have their money out of the design by now, having sold scads of them. They redesigned the swingarm and the V4 was always shaft-ready, so it would be super easy to have engineered a shaft onto it and it would have added very little weight. I’d buy a NC750X over it, because of the fuel mileage, “frunk”, seating position and low Cg, even though I love the VFR engine. But it’s not worth $5000 more and in some ways is probably worth less.

The CB650 suffers from being a middlin’ bike at a middlin’ price. It has nothing exciting or unique about it. A torquey 3-cylinder would have brought it. It will no doubt sell too, but it seems a little high in price, but it also had to be higher to keep from cannibalizing the CB500R.

But it’s good they brought them over and I suspect they’ll sell at a reasonable pace because they hit someone’s sweetspot.

Really is surprising that Big Red is doing this–wish I was in a position to pick up a new one. Never have owned a Honda, dad rode Kawasaki’s so I considered it a tradition for me to stick with the Kwackers. Might have to change my mind about that.

The VFR 800 should not be shaft drive, that is not the bike that it is, never was. I see more of them with solo seat covers than with bags. This also is a new design, even though it would be more expensive even if it had stayed the same- inflation..

I think it could get a lot more customers with shaft. To be honest, I’m not sure why someone would buy a VFR for sporting purposes giving it’s extreme obesity compared to….everything else. Maybe that’s why it was discontinued for 5 years. Ran out of sport customers. And I doubt this one will do that well in the role given the ever increasing competition. I doubt it will handle better than the CBR650F or be much, if any faster, while costing $3000-$4000 more.

I think Honda deserves support for bringing these bikes over and I hope they sell well.

That being said, I think it’s hard to get excited about either model. The VFR is a step in the right direction, but the VTEC thing really needs to go, the thing needs saddlebags standard, and shaft drive while we’re at it. It needs to be more of a mini ST1300 but more fun to ride. Everyone always runs out and buys bags and helibars, so why doesn’t Honda catch onto that? A lower price would help. They should have their money out of the design by now, having sold scads of them. They redesigned the swingarm and the V4 was always shaft-ready, so it would be super easy to have engineered a shaft onto it and it would have added very little weight. I’d buy a NC750X over it, because of the fuel mileage, “frunk”, seating position and low Cg, even though I love the VFR engine. But it’s not worth $5000 more and in some ways is probably worth less.

The CB650 suffers from being a middlin’ bike at a middlin’ price. It has nothing exciting or unique about it. A torquey 3-cylinder would have brought it. It will no doubt sell too, but it seems a little high in price, but it also had to be higher to keep from cannibalizing the CB500R.

Man oh man, is it possible the next generation ST is right around the corner?? I am getting excited that it may be soon. After seeing what used to be the sibling of the ST1100 & ST1300, this new VFR800 looks like a precursor to what the next generation ST will have. I know, I know….. the CTX1300, blah, blah blah……I still believe prior to the K1600GT, Honda was almost ready for the 10 year anniversary (2013) release of the next gen ST. Remember the patent office leaks of bumper technology? Honda almost did it, but they went back to the drawing board to match BMW by designing a V-6, which also gave them some time to implement newer lighting and other technology that wasn’t available to implement in a 2013 model. I still enjoy riding my 1995 ST1100, but I am ready for an upgrade of the next gen ST and to turn my current ST1100 into a side car hack. Anyway, here is to hoping the ST1600 will be arriving in a Honda announcement, to be posted on MotorcyleDaily.com soon…..Keep up the great work “MD”. Ride Technical, Ride well everyone.

I’ve always felt the CB650F is a looker. The proportions are right, like a ’64 Mustang. The steel frame is a bit of a letdown when compared to the beautiful and complex casting of the FZ9’s aluminum. Later generation VFRs, post gear-driven cams, seem a little cold and mostly leave me that way. I want to like them but they never move me much.

Lovely lineup; Honda covers whole field to be sure and for that reason plus intrinsic values will remain queen of the sport.
If realize there is lot of effort put into those stylish fairings, but I wished that VFR had little less of it. Maybe there should be option with reduced bottom part of fairing. Show your mechanics, ladies and gentlemen!

How is this better than a 1994 model? The new one is darn heavy, will it have greatly improved engine output? Say I purchase a clean 1994 or 1998, rework the forks, and add an Ohlins shock. How is this 2014 that much better?

Nothing that drastic. Improvement are best done incrementally. I would settle for 15 horses, 20 pounds, and a great suspension that really targets the sport/distance/all around nature of the VCR. Fact is Honda is losing market shares, and Japan is losing its identity as an economic force and as a culture. I lived there for years and it is sad to see
I get the senior discount at Walgreens but I still love to haul ass to have fun. Not for everyone, i get that. Triumph and Ktm gets my dollars these days

The CBR650F will no doubt be a decent bike. I’m not interested. I’ll wait for the Yamaha FZ07.

I too owned a pearl white 1986 700, maybe the best mountain road bike I’ve owned, outside a brilliant but flawed Multistrada. I can’t even think about a VFR – I can never go back to that sitting position (cervical fusion), have to have upright ergos. Now if Honda put that V4 in something like the CBR650F chassis…

A couple years ago I looked at a local used 2001. The price and version was right but it felt so heavy picking it up off the stand that I didn’t even take it for a test ride. Not at all like my 1986, which seemed hardly heavier than the EX500 it replaced. I’m sure the 2001 was fine for what it was designed to do, but I have to be able to bump down dirt roads for a few miles at least without too much drama.

Note on the 86’s – the specs say 76 HP for the 700, 105 for the 750! My impression is the 700 might of had a few more, I wonder if the 750 had a few less – Honda had to provide some motivation to pay the tariff!

Really?
Honda has brought something like 15 bikes in the last couple of years and we’re moaning about how they need to wake up? With the exception of a new bike here or there from other OEM’s, I think Honda has more new bikes than all others combined. Wake up – the market has changed!

That’s because Honda is reacting to today’s market and doing what it does best, bring new riders into the sport. Since the introduction of the CBR250 I know of three people who are now new riders! Everyone has their own ideas about what they want in a motorcycle and if these offerings don’t match that ideal then they’re torn to shreds here. I always go for a test ride before passing final judgement. As mentioned elsewhere, too much is placed on “a” power figure and “a” weight. Surprising how much fun some of these under powered pigs are!

I have run into 8 riders in the past two months that were on new Hondas. Half were on CBR250R’s, two were on the 500s, one on the 700X and one was on the CB1100. All of them were first-time motorcyclists, and all of them were in love with their bikes. I met one of the 250 owners just this morning at a gas station on the way to work. He bought the 250R with the intention of moving up to a Harley once he had some experience – he instead put a deposit on a ’14 CB1100 and will keep his 250R, too. Honda knows this game well.

I wonder what those ‘moaners’ (I think it is worse than that) would do, if you put them in front of drawing board. They would quickly excuse themselves to washroom and would be looking for escape window =)))))))…))))))

I predicted that Honda would not give us the beautiful gold rims and red/white/blue paint shown on the euro CBR650F. Unfortunately, I was right FLAT BLACK is lame and wont sell…proof is in the CBR1000 which hasn’t sold well…this year they added gold rims, but it is still flat black. Duh, Honda. My area Honda dealers have a few new flat black CBs anchored to the showrooms. They call color, color for a reason!

That VFR a hideous! Honda should be embarrassed at that wreck! At one time the VFR showcased the technology that Honda stood for, no more. It looks a lot like the ugly Kawasaki ZZR 1200 from a couple years ago. What happened to mighty Honda?

I don’t think it is hideous at all. I like the smooth lines. Same tank shape as the RC213V. The exhaust you could swap out for an after market. They are great to ride. I ride a 919 now but the VFR was the bike I put the most miles on of any bike I’ve had. 15,000 miles in two seasons. I simply had to pay off my bills at the time so I sold it. – I had a 96 and I am sure this one is just as great to ride as my 96 was. The fact of the matter is, variable timing is THE way to make combustion the most efficient across the rev range and makes a bit more power and torque.

I briefly rode a Honda Sabre in the late 70’s, and was mightily impressed by the V4 motor, much less impressed by the 16″ front wheel and indifferent handling. The V4s just have a beautiful motor. I also love Honda straight fours, provided they’re not peaky and gutless, which smaller fours are. The 650 might just strike a good balance. The naked bike has a higher handlebar. The VFR is one for the refined gent with the funds to pay for the petrol.

I have always gravitated to the European bikes, and at the same time have always liked the VFR. My currant “SPORT-touring” is a Sprint ST, which I love, but the mileage is getting up there, so a replacement will be needed. Honda’s VFR 800 would be perfect if it came with OEM hard side cases. So hopefully it will.

Nice to see some new stuff from Honda but the competition is very strong and unless you’ve just got to have a Honda I think the competition has a leg up on these two new bikes. The Ninja 1000 and the FZ09 both cost less and offer more performance.

My thinking, exactly. I wouldn’t really describe either of these two new Hondas as having “upright ergonomics.” Compared to a CBR1000RR? Sure. Compared to a Ninja 1000, Ninja 650, Yamaha FZ-09 or FZ-6, the natural competition for the VFR and CBR650? Not so much.

Glad to see Honda bringing the new VFR and the CBR650 to US. I have a 6th Gen VFR, and def agree that that low pipe was a miss; The Swing Arm is one of the Key features so why cover it up?? And I wonder how the CBR650 will stack up against the Ninja650 & Yamaha’s Yzwhactamacallit.

Anyhow, I am sure some aftermarket company will make either a highmount (or underseat like mine) exhaust for the new VFR.

Hey I had a TY175 that was maybe the nicest trials bike I ever had. Wished I had never sold it. The 70s bikes were great, and also the 1970s sections could be at least appreciated if not cleaned by a clubman – now the elite is a different sport entirely. If I could get back into it again I’d do classic twinshock trials……

I don’t see how you can say that. According to the experts on this list the “Montesa” must be junk. With a bore 50% bigger than the stroke (more over-square than a CBR1000RR) it can’t possibly make any low RPM power. Isn’t that right, big bore/ short stroke means an engine that makes power at high RPM? Clearly the engineers at Honda are incompetent.

Or, maybe the engineers at Honda know an engine with a short stoke is more compact, combined with well selected valves (four, of course since that allows the most power), ports and cam timing you can have an engine that is compact, and makes the bottom end biased power you need for trials.

Sorry, I can’t help poking fun at the “experts” who clearly know very little.

Goose, it is impossible to know EXACTLY what your are saying. Are you still saying that stroke does not strongly influence the overall shape of the torque and power curves? Or are you saying that if so, it can be overcome through other factors? Which is it, EXACTLY, and is what you are saying now EXACTLY the same as before? Let me ask a simple question. On the torque curve for any engine (that I know of), there is a particular rpm where engine torque is at its greatest, i.e., the torque peak. Below that particular rpm, engine torque declines. This ABSOLUTELY means that the amount of air that the engine takes in per individual intake stroke decreases as the duration of the intake stroke becomes greater, for rpm below that threshold. There can be can be no debate about this. There is only the explanation for why it happens, and nothing else, to wonder about. Why would it be that as the duration of the intake stoke increases beyond a specific threshold, the amount of air captured decreases? I would not feel that I had a very good understanding at all of how engines work if I did not have any idea how to explain this. Many people are naturally curious enough to want to understand this, and people who are that naturally curious end up realizing that stroke has a fairly direct effect on the rpm where the torque peak occurs, and thereby on the overall shape of the torque and power curves. It sure sounds to me like you are denying this. If you aren’t, then maybe you should try a little harder to preclude the possibility that someone else will think that you are.

Please don’t write stuff like, “According to the experts on this list …”

But do you still have to pull and re-install the cams THREE TIMES (or more) to adjust the valves.? What a crappy piece of engineering. I don’t care what else changed, unless they fixed that VTEC is a deal killer.

There are just as many bad USD forks out there as conventional. If race-level steering rigidity is that important then this is the wrong bike. Honda has a history of poor spring and valving rates on this and the VTR Superhawk. It’d be nice if they fixed that.

Glad to see a new VFR. A Ninja 1000 is lighter and substantially more powerful for the same money, so it may be a tough sell. Of course, the VFR does have the highly coveted centerstand going for it and a model name suitable for grownups.

Good points but I don’t think it’ll matter to the consumers that buy it. There has always been something appealing about VFR’s that overshadows the spec sheet, similar to the old Ducati 916’s, which were slower and heavier than the Japanese 4-cyl bikes but more desirable at the same time.

I have owned 4 Interceptors: a 86 Pearl White 700, A Red 2001, Red 2006 and a Grey 2008. My favorite was the 2001 and this new model looks exactly like that one. That alone has me sold. I have ridden a Ninja 1000 several times. Not the same thing. The looks, quality and refinement fall way short. The greater power is the only real plus. For mature riders that are targeted for this model, that won’t matter much.

It’s that darn single side swingarm and that beautiful exhaust note. Too bad about the exhaust routing over the swingarm. I’ve always thought, Blech! V4, Vmax sounds like crap, V65s sound was nothing special, but a VFR with Two Bros pipe was sweeeet! When you’re riding, you don’t get to see anything but the top of tank and gauges but the sound is either soothing,obnoxious or non descript. I know it’s a motorcycle not a stereo, but the VFR sound with geardrive cams and a nice exhaust is magic and is probably the only 4cyl I’m gonna make an effort to have in my garage to live with my twins. Still wish it was a 1000 without VTEC.

I liked my 86 700 engine noises too. I liked even better all the sounds from the S4R I had for a while – the cam belt drives on it made a lovely sound. (And it had a really nice after market clutch and Arrow exhaust). Just idling that bike would grow a crowd of onlookers/onlisteners.